“Silence Is Not An Option”: 700+ Artists Sign Anti-Racist Pledge After Wiley’s Anti-Semitic Rant
"We are at our worst when we attack one another."
More than 700 UK artists and music industry professionals — including The 1975, Nile Rogers and Lily Allen — have signed an open letter called #NoSilenceInMusic, where they pledge to actively work against racism within the industry. It comes just days after UK rapper Wiley made a number anti-Semitic remarks on Twitter.
“We, representatives from the music industry, write to demonstrate and express our determination, that love, unity and friendship, not division and hatred, must and will always be our common cause,” the letter begins, as published on Variety.
The letter was also signed by Years & Years, Lewis Capaldi, Rita Ora, Yungblud, Niall Horan and figures across the three major labels, Sony, Warner and Universal. While it does not mention Wiley’s comments directly, it alludes to both them and the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement.
“Whether it be systemic racism and racial inequality highlighted by continued police brutality in America or anti-Jewish racism promulgated through online attacks, the result is the same: suspicion, hatred and division,” it reads. “We are at our worst when we attack one another.”
In the past week, UK rapper Wiley has made a set of anti-Semetic, pro Black comments on social media, equating the Klu Klux Klan with the Jewish community and saying he didn’t ‘care’ about Hitler.
He later defended himself from criticism, tweeting, “Forget anti Semitic racism is racism and ya can’t hide the fact that systemic racism exists and it wasn’t set up by us”. He also alleged COVID-19 was a hoax.
Further posts that appeared to hint towards violence towards London’s Jewish community saw his Facebook and Instagram pages removed.
Read the full open-letter below, and find the full list of signatories here.